Frankenstein (1931):Reviewed by BRYAN SCHUESSLER
This is Director James Whale’s CLASSIC! I really enjoyed watching this film, again, years later. It was so nostalgic for me. I remember watching it when I was a wee little lad, sitting 1 foot away from the t.v., glued to it and in total awe and terror as to what the monster would do to the little girl he found. That scene of Frankenstein’s monster and the little girl from the village sitting by the lake and tossing the flowers into it, overjoyed at watching them float. I knew what would happen even before it happened at that ripe little age, of 6 or 7. Oh yeah, I had found horror long before watching Frankenstein.
I always was fascinated by the unknown and things that made me feel that pinch and knot in my stomach: being scared S***LESS! If you have not seen Universal’s Frankenstein or any other of the classic Universal monster films, SHAME ON YOU! Every die-hard horror fanatic should know their history and see all the great classics before they dare to make comment on the new wave and slew of horror films being pumped out as of this writing.
Frankenstein is one of my favorite films, partly because I enjoy watching Boris Karloff so much! He is one of my favorite actors. Now I know he is only portraying a silent and ominous monster in Frankenstein, but each movement he makes as the monster walks, in its slanted 15 degree angle, almost about to topple forward onto its face, is disturbingly calculated and thought-out with care and precision. Mary Shelley wrote a grand novel and we are thankful to have it adapted to the screen for all to see. Colin Clive gave a superb performance as Dr. Henry Frankenstein and Mae Clark did well as Elizabeth, the doctor’s love interest and fiancee. I expect Frankenstein to be a classic for many more years to come.
